Improving foot-and-mouth disease control using livestock movement
patterns within the FMD protection zone of South Africa
Abstract
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a transboundary animal disease that has
a major impact on livestock production, regional and international trade
and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in endemic settings. Livestock
movement is one of the most important ways of spreading infectious
diseases including FMD. Many livestock diseases are transmitted through
direct contact between animals, and thus between herds and flocks
through animal movements. In this study, we described the pattern of
livestock movements among smallholder farmers within a communal farming
area in South Africa. A cross-sectional survey using a semi-structured
questionnaire was administered to 116 respondents, and 13 focus group
discussions employing participatory mapping and semi-structured
interviews were conducted among smallholder goat farmers. Data from the
study reported 37 nodes and 78 ties with an overall network density of
0.059 (SD 0.235) for goats, and 42 nodes and 90 ties with an overall
network density of 0.052 (SD 0.223) for cattle across the study area.
The study identified several FMD high-risk locations to prioritise
vaccination programmes and targeted disease surveillance. Four locations
within the (former) FMD-free zone of the country were identified to have
connections with movement of goats from the study area. Findings from
this study further demonstrated that goats are moved without official
movement permits to the FMD free zone of the country, with most farmers
being ignorant of the need to obtain official veterinary movement
permits. These animal movements put the country at risk of future FMD
outbreaks within the free zone. We recommend that the relevant
authorities implement risk-based control measures to prevent the spread
of infectious diseases.